How To Instantly Boost The Flavor Of Canned Green Beans — You Only Need One Ingredient

Green beans are a useful ingredient for creating all kinds of savory side dishes. They're the star of green bean casserole, an American classic during the holiday season, and make great additions to all kinds of salads, such as green bean and tomato panzanella salad. Green beans even taste great by themselves, provided the beans are fresh.

While most of us prefer fresh green beans to canned ones, sometimes we end up having to use the canned version either out of convenience, cost efficiency, or lack of fresh produce available. Thankfully, there's an easy way to give canned green beans more flavor: Add bouillon cubes. All you have to do is add the bouillon cube to the green beans and spices of your choice while cooking, no extra preparation or steps necessary.

This trick can be applied to other kinds of canned beans and vegetables too. Bouillon is one of several ingredients that can take canned beans up a notch; try combining the bouillon with other ingredients, like herbs and spices, to give canned green beans even more flavor.

Regardless of the green bean recipe you are using, you only need one bouillon cube; adding too much bouillon runs the risk of making the green beans too salty, so it's best to only use one cube. In fact, some bouillon brands are saltier than others, so it's generally best to be more reserved when using bouillon.

As for whether to use chicken or beef bouillon, that's up to you. Both work great with canned green beans, so it just comes down to which flavor you like more. What's more important is choosing a high quality bouillon. Most people recommend avoiding the super powdery or rock hard bouillon cubes. Get a bouillon that has a soft but not powdery texture so it's easy to dissolve and incorporate into the dish.

Last but not least, feel free to add other ingredients to further bring out the savory flavor of the bouillon cubes. Some optional additional ingredients that are commonly used include bacon pieces, minced onion, ham hock, Worcestershire sauce, or soy sauce.